They Not Like Us: They Want Criticality But Not Too Much

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

In Kendrick Lamar’s (2024) rap song, Not Like Us, he repeatedly raps about how non-Black, Black adjacent, and even some Black people are not us. Lamar’s rap emphasizes how the opposition openly communicates that they are allies, makes room for us in white spaces, and supports dismantling oppressive spaces. However, their reality and actions do not align with the words coming out of their mouths or the scholarly literature they produce. This interactive symposium centers Black queer and queer-adjacent women and nonbinary early-career scholars in early childhood teacher education as we elucidate the themes from our kitchen table talk and invite participants to action plan around collective resistance related to queer and trans* communities of Color in academia and beyond.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Queer Studies

Chair

• Danelle Adeniji, Dallas Independent School District

Papers

• Not Like Us - Danelle Adeniji, Dallas Independent School District

• The Kitchen Table - Zutella Holmes, University of North Texas

• Resisting Marginalization Within the Community - Meghan L. Green, Erikson Institute

• They Want Criticality But Not Too Much - Megan Pamela Ruth Madison, First Conversations

Discussant

• shea wesley martin, The Ohio State University